Faith Without Works Is Dead
The following missionary story was related to me by another minister. I may not have the details exact but the main point of it is still crucial, I believe.
A young couple was serving as missionaries in a country that had a lot of poisonous snakes in their area. When their two boys came along they were very concerned for their young sons. They decided to move back to the United States, living in a mobile home in Arizona. One day one of the boys was playing in the short space under the home. He was bitten by a rattlesnake. The father realized what had happened. He grabbed the little boy to rush him to the hospital. In his hurry he accidentally backed over his other small son with the car. His wife, who was pregnant with their third child, came out of the front door at precisely this moment. She saw her son run over by the frantic dad. She had a heart attack. I do not remember the exact details but I think that she and/or the child also died.
What is the moral of this story?
Do not leave your post? If you stop being a missionary God will kill your family?
I do not think that either of these is the correct understanding of this tragic account.
The couple was living in an area of poisonous snakes. I think it is good to be aware of one's situation. When they became parents they were concerned about the safety of their children. That is good. The fatal mistake (literally) was in putting action to their fear. To be aware of danger or to be concerned of the potential threat to their family's safety is good. When they put action to their fear, it gave the enemy access to their lives in the area of their fear: snakes and death. When they moved away from the perceived danger and moved to where they thought they would be “safe”, they unintentionally changed from concern to a place where the protection of God did not exist, for them. Their action moved their fear from responsible concern to “open season” for the enemy.
They never were snake bitten in the land of their assignment. They just had the fear of it. I lived for a short time in Puerto Rico. Every house had bars on the windows. Every car had an alarm. I never was aware of any crime there but there was an abundant fear of it.
Many times, taking some form of action changes a thing from an idea or concept into an immediate reality.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (Matt 6:31)
Jesus was talking about worrying about the basics of life. Making sane preparations is good. Planning is good. There is something that changes that which is normal and necessary into something evil. Jesus said, “Do not worry then, saying...” (NASB). When we put words and actions to our fears, we give them life and they have full permission to hunt us down and destroy our lives. That changes the dynamic of our concerns.
Perhaps it sounds like I am making too much out of a small thing.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2)
We know that we are not saved by works. That is Christianity 101. It is first grade material. Let us not go over that again. We have to be soundly settled on that issue. Faith is the correct response that saves us but, what kind of faith? The faith that obeys. Faith that does not obey is not Biblical faith.
God knows the heart. We are not attempting to play Judge here. However, from the human point of view faith is invisible. Draw me a picture of faith. Impossible. God sees it and it is supremely important to Him. Someone says they have faith. Maybe they do and maybe they do not. It is just noise that comes out of their mouth. Cheap sound (though real words from the heart are very important).
Invisible faith becomes real (from our point of view) when we add one thing to it: Works. When we put action to our faith it changes from what may be a dead concept to reality (again, from the human perspective). So, when we put action to the things in our heart and mind, it allows it to be seen as something else, a real, living thing. That changes the dynamic of our secret, silent heart belief.
When we add action to our worries and fears it changes them from a reasonable concern to an assassin. When we add corresponding action to our faith we change it from airy-fairy pretending to a powerful force.
Worry without action is idle. It's there but it can't harm you.
Faith without works is dead. It's there but it can't help you.
[We cannot know absolutely about the heart of another person. Many people are highly skilled at being fakes and deceivers. Again, God is the Judge.]
As far as our own heart is concerned, let us be those who add to own faith, obedience to the Lord Jesus.
Feb 22,2024